The communication style that built your farm won't pass it on. Succession planning isn't a document — it's the decision to stop using the same tool on the people you love.   I was sitting in the corner of the Read More...

A Mother's Day reflection on the women behind Australia's farming families — and the quiet role they play in farm succession planning. She's going to read this and cringe. Probably ring me and tell me off for making a fuss. Read More...

Years ago I was sitting around a kitchen table with a family about eighteen months into the worst drought their district had seen in living memory. Well below average rainfall for two summers. The subsoil moisture was gone. And the Read More...

When I look back at my twenties, I realise I had the wrong end of the stick. I believed that if I didn’t get things right early — really right — I’d miss my shot. I saw life as having Read More...

I once had an old bloke say something to me that really stuck. He said, “Ben, people reckon the hardest part is surviving the tough years.” The floods. The droughts. The low commodity prices. The high interest rates. The broken Read More...

I love Christmas. Always have. Growing up on the farm, it was the one time of year when all the extended family came home. The town cousins arrived like they’d been released from captivity. Shoes off within minutes. Climbing trees, Read More...

Remember when technology was meant to save us time? Yeah, me too. We were told: “Get this app. Buy that gadget. Automate the boring stuff.” And suddenly you’ll have all this glorious spare time — to rest, connect, think big, Read More...

I’ve worked with a lot of families over the years — big ones, small ones, grazing, cropping, you name it. Different enterprises, different challenges… but the same pattern keeps showing up. Some families raise kids who are grounded, grateful, and Read More...

Just because someone’s at the top doesn’t mean they’re enjoying the view. They might be sitting on a valuable operation. Running a highly profitable business. Getting recognition in the community. But behind the scenes? They’re worn out. Isolated. Maybe even Read More...

Just last month, a family submitted an expression of interest for the last space in our High Performing Families Accelerator community. They were on an impressive trajectory — hungry, driven, kicking goals. Their kids were in their mid-20s, and they Read More...

How to Know When to Lean In, Let Go — or Change Tact Helen Mirren once said: “Before you argue with someone, ask yourself — Is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of a different perspective? Read More...

It’s one of the biggest questions in a family business. And one of the most mishandled. “Are you coming back to the farm or not?” For parents, it’s a long-awaited moment — often loaded with hope, pressure, pride, and decades Read More...